Lord Byron

If even half the stories about the Fabulous Moolah are true (watch The Dark Side of the Ring episode about her, for starters), it would be a very bad idea for Renee to join Moolah's camp...

Interesting diary, with a point in history few people have used. I had forgotten that Rocky Johnson (aka The Rock's dad) was from Canada originally until I looked it up...

<p>Good card, @tobin834, but you have the Devon Storm-Mike Rapada match recap in the Bobby Duncum, Jr.-Steve Corino match recap.</p><p> </p><p> I half-expected Kurt Angle to be one of the men in black...</p>

Chapter 16 isn't coming up for me, @tobin834...

Wonder if Superclash will be a success and who'll win the AWA heavyweight championship...

@tobin834, shouldn't it be WCW ahead in the ratings at this time, just as in RL? Just curious... On a side note, excellent story so far...

Kurt Angle (he left ECW over the infamous crucifixion incident with The Sandman and Raven (1), because he feared it would ruin his then-All-American image) would be a better fit for the AWA than the WWF at this time (and he'd just be buried in WCW, unless he became buddies with Hall, Nash, and/or Hogan), considering that the WWF was in a transition to what would become the Attitude Era (not that that was bad--it was the WWF's best period, IMO), and I don't see that changing here... (1) And, before people compare this to the Undertaker "crucifying" opponents on a symbol during his Ministry of Darkness phase (and Angle was in the WWF at this time), the Undertaker (in kayfabe) did that to humiliate and scare his opponents who, unlike the Sandman, were conscious (plus, they didn't have the cross of thorns on their head that the Sandman did--that's what offended people, IMO)...

Good episode. Waiting for more. One person who would be a good signing for AWA (if you can afford him) is Kurt Angle, who just left ECW (he left over the crucifixion incident, and didn't take calls from wrestling promotions for months because of it)...

Where was the first TV taping held? Good update, and I hope Severn does well--he deserved better than what he got IRL but, to be fair, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was hot, and so were the Rock, Triple H, etc., and there's only so much room at the top for stars in the WWF... If the AWA lasts long enough, I could see a certain Phil Brooks (among others) joining them...

Verne should have realized that times were changing; if he had, he might have held on even after Hogan left (and, frankly, I can't blame Hogan for leaving--if Vince was offering more money than Verne (and not demanding as large a share of Hogan's merch as Verne), he had good reason to). Verne really dropped the ball with Hogan, IMO, and it set the stage for what was to come...

What date was episode 001 in February (or March) of 1997? Good so far; wondering where this is going...

He's been living in denial since he refused to put the world title on Hulk Hogan back in 1983 (BTW, Verne, when the crowd rioted over that decision, that was the first hint that you might have gotten it wrong (1)), IMO, and that cost him everything in the end IRL (sure, Vince might have gotten Hogan eventually, but Verne should have ridden Hulkamania for as long as he could)… Hope he wakes up, too, before it's too late... (1) The crowds were demanding that Hulk Hogan get the title; one of the reasons that Verne didn't want to do it, IIRC, is because Hogan wanted a share of the Hogan-related merchandise profits (say what you will about the Hulkster but, here, he was right, IMO). In addition, Verne also wanted some of Hogan's Japan money (which he had no right to ask for, IMO); at least Vince, Jr. realized what he had in Hogan and pushed him to the stars, resulting in wrestling as we know it today...

<p>While I like Ricky Steamboat as the mystery man, IRL, when Ricky Steamboat proposed turning heel, Pat Patterson basically said that Ricky was so popular that <em>he could have dismembered Hogan with a chainsaw</em> and the fans would have cheered for him...</p><p> </p><p> Interesting to see how this plays out...</p>

If by turning Bret heel you mean turning him heel in the US and keeping him a face internationally (like in Canada and Europe, similar to how Bret was booked in 1997 IRL) is your plan, then I'm all for it, @Levinux (I liked that Bret, IMO). The Monday Night Wars with no Bischoff is going to be interesting, methinks...

So far, you have Trump down to a T; intrigued to see where this is going...

Here's one wrestler I hope the WWF gets in this diary: Paul Wight, aka the Big Show. IRL, he sent an audition tape to Mike Chioda around this time (if not earlier) and Chioda sent it to Pat Patterson, who didn't watch the tape because he mistook Wight for another wrestler, Kurrgan; it wasn't until Wight debuted in WCW that he realized his error, to Vince McMahon's displeasure. If Wight goes to the WWF at this point, at least he avoids his initial booking as Andre the Giant's son in WCW (when Scott Hall asked him about it when he was inducted into the NWO, Wight shot him a look that said "Don't ask that ever AGAIN!!!")… Heck, I can see him going to upper midcard, if booked properly... Waiting for more...

BTW, ZigZagMan, I don't mind the details in your PPV matches; they're more important than the RAW matches at this point anyway...

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="ZigZagMan" data-cite="ZigZagMan" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46048" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Soldier Field was what I had in mind but Wrigley would've been unique for sure. Not sure how the sight lines would've worked out.<p> </p><p> Thanks for the info.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Actually, Soldier Field would be a good site for SummerSlam 1994, given that SummerSlam 1992 was held at Wembley Stadium, which is also a football stadium (and attracted about 80,000 people people. Keep in mind that Soldier Field had a capacity of 66,944 seats in 1994 for football events, so it could hold more than 41,000 people easily; it could be the second-biggest event behind WrestleMania III (which drew 93,173, at least according to the WWF; it was likely less than that, maybe 78,000 if Dave Metzler is right) and coming close to SummerSlam 1992's attendance...</p><p> </p><p> And the Chicago Bears had just ended their postseason, so it's not like there's a scheduling conflict (BTW, the weather that night was partly cloudy, so there's no threat of bad weather)...</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="ZigZagMan" data-cite="ZigZagMan" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46048" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>39,000+ were expected to be in attendance so I found a venue that could house them. Many thanks to the Generic company for hosting such a wonderful event! With this dynasty I'll be focusing on the cities rather than the venue in most cases since many of the venues in TEW didn't exist in 1994.<p> </p><p> You're one for two on your guesses. I'm actually a bit worried about how this will unfold because the two guys who got popped are two guys I have big plans for. But I guess that's what makes the game fun, the unpredictability.</p><p> </p><p> Thanks for reading!</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I looked it up on Wikipedia (again, that isn't the most accurate at times) and I found three sites in Chicago that could host events with 39,000+ fans: Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, and Comiskey Park. I'm guessing it was held at Wrigley, IMO, because that stadium has a lot of history (and, at this time, so does Comiskey) and, at this time, baseball was on strike, so Wrigley probably needed the business.</p><p> </p><p> Remember, two years earlier, the WWF had held Summerslam 1992 outdoors at Wembley Stadium in London (which was successful) and, in 1988, the WWF held Wrestlefest at Milwaukee County Stadium, and the WWF does host outdoor events...</p><p> </p><p> The weather in Chicago on August 29, 1994 was partly cloudy and in the 70s (in the evening), so it's not like there was rain in the forecast...</p><p> </p><p> Just my .02, and waiting for more (if you need any help looking for venues to hold PPVs or Raw events in at this time, let me know)...</p>

<p>Just curious, ZigZagMan, how can Summerslam 1994 have 41,000 fans in attendance when, in RL, it was held at the newly-opened United Center in Chicago, which seats only 23,000?</p><p> </p><p> As for the two WWF wrestlers who failed drug tests and they're keeping it secret, here's my guess (highlight for the wrestlers): <span style="color:#FFFFFF;">Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon.</span> It would make sense, given that they both had substance abuse problems... </p><p> </p><p> Other than that, good story so far; wonder how this will go...</p>

<p>Good diary so far.</p><p> </p><p> Liked how Luger sold out here...</p><p> </p><p> The Million Dollar Corporation is dominant here; sounds like they'll be the top heel stable.</p><p> </p><p> And Savage lost, though I saw that coming; now he can go to WCW...</p><p> </p><p> Please keep Diesel as a heel; he was cooler as that than as a face, IMO (I like his WrestleMania 12 match with the Undertaker) and it'd also be interesting to see an inversion of the face Diesel-heel HBK dynamic that happened IRL...</p><p> </p><p> Overall, a good SummerSlam, and Merry Christmas; looking forward to more, of course...</p>

<p>My picks:</p><p> </p><p> Shawn Michaels</p><p> Bret Hart</p><p> The Undertaker</p><p> Razor Ramon</p><p> Lex Luger</p><p> Headshrinkers</p><p> Jeff Jarrett</p>